Mao Zedong – April 1949
O’er Purple Mountain, storms surge sudden, wild and gray;
A million mighty troops cross the great Yangtze.
Like tiger crouched, dragon coiled, the city shines today
Far brighter than past days; earth turns, heaven realigns –
Hearts swell with joy, with triumph’s grand designs.
Strike on with leftover might, chase the routed foe;
Don’t fish for fame, like Overlord Xiang, let weakness grow.
If Heaven had feelings, Heaven too would age and wane;
The world’s true path is change: sea turns to mulberry plain.
Note
Composed in late April 1949 at Shuangqing Villa, Fragrant Hills, Beiping (now Beijing). On April 23, 1949, the PLA occupied Nanjing – capital of the Nationalist government – ending 22 years of KMT rule. The poem celebrates the Yangtze River Crossing Campaign and urges total victory.
Qilu (Seven-Syllable Octave)
A strict classical Chinese poetic form (8 lines, 7 characters each, tonal rhyme, parallelism). Used for grand, heroic themes.
Xiang Yu (Overlord Xiang)
Prominent warlord of the late Qin Dynasty (232–202 BC). Defeated Qin’s main army but spared Liu Bang (later Han founder) to avoid “unjust” fame. Liu later defeated Xiang, who committed suicide. Mao uses him to warn against showing mercy to defeated enemies.
Revolutionary Realism & Heroism
Blends military victory with historical philosophy – celebrating revolution as history’s “right path”.
Yangtze River
China’s longest river, natural strategic barrier; crossing it symbolizes national unification.
Purple Mountain (Zhongshan)
Nanjing’s iconic mountain; stands for the city itself.
canghuang
Double meaning: sudden storm & drastic color/political change.
tiger crouched, dragon coiled
Ancient praise for Nanjing’s strategic terrain (imperial capital for dynasties).
heaven overturns, earth flips
Epic metaphor for total political/social revolution.
use remaining might to chase routed foes
Reverses the ancient military maxim “do not chase a cornered enemy”; Mao orders total annihilation.
fish for fame
Pursue reputation hypocritically – criticizing Xiang Yu’s false mercy.
if Heaven had feelings, Heaven would age
From Tang poet Li He; Mao adapts it to argue nature/history are indifferent to sentiment.
cang sang / sea > mulberry
Classic idiom: vast, cyclic historical change – Seas turn into mulberry fields, symbolizing revolutionary transformation.
human world’s true path
Mao’s definition: progress through revolution, replacing old with new.
七律-人民解放军占领南京
毛泽东，一九四九年四月
钟山风雨起苍黄，
百万雄师过大江。
虎踞龙盘今胜昔，
天翻地覆慨而慷。
宜将剩勇追穷寇，
不可沽名学霸王。
天若有情天亦老，
人间正道是沧桑。
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